New Car Seat Bill Signed

Last updated 9/24/2015 at 2:07pm

On Monday, Sept. 21. Gov. Jerry Brown singed a bill into law that requires babies to be rear-facing in their car seats until they turn 2, taller than 40 inches or weighting more than 40 pounds. The law will go into effect in 2017 and it will overwrite the current law of the one-year requirement.

According to a study by Injury Prevention, kids under 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or sustain severe injuries in a car accident if they are rear-facing in their car seats.

The bill was supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors and traffic safety experts. The AAP said that rear-facing car seats provide the best support for the babies’ head and spines in car accidents. The academy began advising parents of this measure three years ago.

The bill also received opposition from parents stating that they would prefer to see their babies through the rear-view mirror, and that their kids have their legs in an uncomfortable position.